Paul Rudd has always been that anomaly in the Marvel catalogue in that it is easier to see him as a comic presence rather than a heroic one and that continues this time around. That circumstance makes for the film’s most charming moments. Once things drop into the world of zeros and ones, it’s just a matter of business as usual.

The Ant-Man films have lived mostly outside the Avengers’ based chapters and Quantumania feels amongst the most separate. There are a few mentions, including a funny scene with M.O.D.O.K. (Corey Stoll) but it’s not until the final of the two crazy credits that things get pulled into the larger world of the MCU.

Much thought has gone into creating arresting visuals and inhabitants of the Quantum Realm and in that regard, it’s an impressive display. The storyline and the character arcs of its main players unfortunately form some of its least impressive attributes. It is still enjoyable but seems a minor pleasure compared to other outings in the world created by the late and great Stan Lee.
Rob Hudson
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Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.

Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a. and Stephen Broussard, p.g.a., “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania”also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O’Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar. The sci-fi adventure opens in Australian cinemas on February 16, 2023.
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Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.

Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a. and Stephen Broussard, p.g.a., “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang. The sci-fi adventure opens in Australian cinemas on February 16, 2023.
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In the film, which officially kicks off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.

Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang. Director Peyton Reed returns to direct the film; Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard produce.
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A trio of tales tells the story. They feature a badass DEA agent (Armie Hammer) who is on the hunt to bring down a Canadian drug lord Mother (Guy Nadon). A recovering addict (Evangeline Lilly) who suffers a personal loss that triggers a revenge plot, and Gary Oldman, a Doctor that gets put under pressure to follow a Big Pharma party line in regards to testing on a new drug. Oldman was also a producer on the project.

The three provide the bedrock to the film with varying degrees of success. Hammer in stock police procedural mode gets to be the renegade rebel with the heart of gold as he struggles to bring down the bad guy and keep his substance abuse sister alive. His storyline dovetails with that of Lilly’s as she mirrors his attempt to bring down the Kingpin, Mother. Oldman’s Doctor role exists outside of the street and is set in the world of academia and unfortunately misses the chance to make a bigger impact in the film’s narrative.

The opioid catastrophe has become a horrible scourge in North American and other parts of the world and it deserves a film that ignites a great sense of outrage and works to instill a strong desire to get involved in its banishment, unfortunately, Crisis isn’t completely up to the task. It is entertaining but ultimately lacks the gravitas that the situation deserves.

Rob Hudson
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Following a similar narrative structure to Steven Soderbergh’s Oscar winning Traffic, three stories about the world of opioids collide: a drug trafficker arranges a multi-cartel Fentanyl smuggling operation between Canada and the U.S., an architect recovering from an OxyContin addiction tracks down the truth behind her son’s involvement with narcotics, and a university professor battles unexpected revelations about his research employer, a drug company with deep government influence bringing a new “non-addictive” painkiller to market.

Crisis will be released in Australian cinemas March 18!

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After the intensity and dark nature of Avengers: Infinity War, it’s a relief to have a MCU film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and places a high value on humour and ease of consumption. It’s not completely divorced from company direction though and the coda at the end of the film puts things in perspective (so stay till the very end.).

Paul Rudd is back as Scott Lang (AKA Ant-Man) and he still plays the role mostly for laughs but does rises to the occasion in the hero stakes when needed. Through a plot device better seen in the film than described here, he and Hope Van Dyne AKA the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) are sharing a time out. Their reconnection is large part of the film’s charm.

It’s a big universe out there and there is plenty of room for an addition to the franchise that has light heartedness at its core. Ant-Man and the Wasp is unchallenging and all the more fun because of that. It’s also an enjoyable addition to the recent heavy going.

Rob Hudson
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